


Shuichi's Fantasy

by Milkbonez



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Love suite event, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Safe For Work, i'm actually not sure if this counts as that but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-24 07:57:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21096068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milkbonez/pseuds/Milkbonez
Summary: Kaede uses her Key of Love and is surprised to find Shuichi in the hotel suite already.





	Shuichi's Fantasy

Kaede turned the key in the door and pushed it open. A warm light gave salmon undertones to all the trappings of the love suite inside. The huge, round bed with the heart-shaped headboard set with lights. The pair of sneering carousel horses running on a track around it. The sheer curtains on the left and right of the room, loosely concealing other fixtures. She barely had time to take it all in, however. A figure clad in eye-catching black clothes stood in the center of the room.

Shuichi stepped forward, beckoning her inside. “Ah, Kaede, good timing. Come inside.”

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Closing the door behind her, Kaede shuffled in at a sluggish pace, going over in her mind the information she had received earlier. When in here with someone, they would perceive her as their “ideal” in a fantasy of their desires. She’d decided she would dip out if things got bizarre or dangerous, even if it would hurt the other person’s feelings. But if it was Shuichi… He was a polite and serious, if timid, boy. She would simply have to wait and see what his fantasy was.

“I apologize for calling you in on such short notice,” Shuichi said. He gestured to the side of the bed. “Please, have a seat.”

Kaede sat at the edge of the bed, facing the room’s left side. Through the sheer curtain, she could make out a metal ladder up to a small playground slide whose bottom reached into… a hot tub, maybe? Her heart drummed. Shuichi’s demeanor was oddly professional here, she thought as he took a seat beside her. What was his greatest desire? Where would this fantasy lead…?

Watching him, she ventured, “What did you want to talk with me about?”

“It’s about… the recent runaway case I was assigned to.” He heaved a breath as if he’d just set down something heavy. His shoulders sagged. One hand reached for the cap he normally wore; not finding it, he set both hands in his lap. His head drooped, eyes squeezed shut.

Kaede’s brows rose. So he was at work right now, in the fantasy. Did that mean she was his coworker? “Which case was that?”

Shuichi sighed again, opening his eyes. His hands closed into fists. His voice was somber as he explained, “The runaway in question was a boy who just barely turned fifteen. According to his parents, he ran away after getting into an argument with his mother about his stepfather. They thought he would return home within a few hours, but he didn’t, and he wasn’t staying at a friend’s house…” 

A deep breath exhaled through pursed lips. He had trouble keeping his voice steady. “I searched for him for six days and… recently my search ended at the river across town. He wasn’t… I…” He covered his mouth with one hand. Gray-hazel eyes glistened with tears. “I only found… a scrap of his clothing at the river bank.”

A chill crept up her neck at the implication. Kaede’s nervous flutters slowed to a sorrowful pang. “Oh, Shuichi… That’s heartbreaking.” 

Shuichi stared into his lap, his other hand clenching until his knuckles turned white. The first tears fell when he blinked. He pawed them away, quavering, “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean—want to cry in front of you…”

She stood and moved in front of him, arms open, mindful of the carousel track. Shuichi eased himself into her arms, his chin to her shoulder. He took deep breaths in and out, trying to contain himself.

“Don’t be sorry,” she whispered to him. “It’s okay to cry.” 

His embrace tightening, Shuichi fell apart. Kaede rubbed his back up and down as he sobbed on her shoulder, his anguished whimpers bringing on tears of her own.

“He wasn’t much younger than me,” He choked around his sobs. “And he just stormed away from his parents without saying goodbye. It really… kills me inside. And I don’t know how or why he went across town to begin with.” He wiped his eyes with one hand. “Perhaps I never will. It’s not my place to question his parents any further.”

Shuichi was silent for a minute. Kaede continued to rub his back, breathing through her mouth to hide her own sniffles. She could feel his quick heartbeat against her own.

“I hate this.”

“Hm?”

“I hate this. Being a detective. I work hard to get information, do my research, and in the end there’s only bad news. I finished my assignment and my reward is I get to tell his parents that he died. Nobody wants to hear that.” His last words were shaky.

Kaede’s grip tightened a little around his shoulders. Shuichi’s compassion towards others was one of the things that made him a great detective. Surely he was already feeling his clients’ pain, knowing the news they would soon need to hear. In the end, he was just like her: they just wanted to make people smile with their work. This made it clear, however, the nature of his work was very different from hers.

She asked, “Do you feel responsible?”

He tensed in her arms.

“This isn’t happy news for anyone to hear. Not for you, not for his parents. I don’t blame you for being so anxious about breaking the news to them. But I get the sense that you blame yourself for this outcome.”

Shuichi hiccuped. “I feel like… if I had found him sooner, then maybe things might be different…”

She took in a breath to say something more, then let it out. She considered. Her next words could land awkwardly. She spoke each one deliberately, gingerly. “You know, there is a silver lining under this. His parents will never have to wonder what happened to him. You finding their son will give them closure. They can eventually move on from this.”

“I s-suppose…”

Under her breath, Kaede said, “It’s okay to be compassionate. Just remember to step back a little. You can’t take responsibility for their pain. You just did your job, successfully.”

Sniffling, Shuichi gave a few thoughtful nods. His heartbeat began to slow. “Y-Yeah, you’re right.”

Kaede glanced up. Beside the bed was a small side table on which a box of tissues sat. “Here.” She broke away from the hug to grab and proffer the tissue box. Once Shuichi had wiped his face and blown his nose, she placed a hand on his shoulder. His eyes were puffy, bloodshot. His mournful expression made her want to cry and hug him again. She said, “When it’s time to tell them, I can be there with you, if you want. You don’t have to go it alone.”

Shuichi’s eyes widened. “R-Really? I mean, only if it wouldn’t trouble you. You’ve already, uh, taken care of so much f-for me…” His eyes darted around, and his hand reached again for the cap that wasn’t there.

“Not at all. Like I said, this news isn’t going to be… easy to hear, much less say. If I can help you, then I want to.”

His eyes watered, but he managed a smile. “Thank you, Kaede… Just hearing you say that makes me feel better. A bit more confident. May I?” He opened his arms for one more hug.

Kaede was eager to step into his embrace and lace her arms around his neck. “Of course!” She looked around one last time, almost surprised to see the love suite’s interior, all the salmon pink hues. Even the carousel horses nearly startled her as they came round. She’d been so caught up in the fantasy of being a fellow worker at his detective office that she’d forgotten where they actually were. And his desire for a safe space to be so raw and vulnerable over an emotional case he experienced for work… It was so simple, wholesome. It was truly suited to his character.

Shuichi gave her a few shy pats on the back. “Thank you,” he whispered, “for being here for me. I don’t think I can properly articulate… how much I appreciate you.” His tears seeped into his voice.

Kaede squeezed him warmly. “It’s what friends are for, isn’t it?”

**Author's Note:**

> I've spent the last year or so wondering *not* what Shuichi's fantasy is -- I already knew what I thought it should be after finishing V3 -- but the best way to execute the that in writing? Love Hotel with Kaede's POV was a no-brainer for me, the Kaede stan that I am. I really wanted there to be more cuddling up together and gentle (sfw) caressing, but once I talked over the context of the fantasy with my buddy Animercom, I realized that wasn't going to be possible with the whole "Kaede as his coworker at the office" thing.
> 
> But honestly, this is just as good, if not better. I think fictional friendships are sorely underrated among every fandom, especially for such a popular ship. I've been wanting to write some platonic Saimatsu for a while. Although I would like something with a little more build-up for their relationship (say, a series of drabbles where they grow closer in a UTDP-like setting or other AU), this scene still hit the spot for me as far as the kind of supportive friendships I think are so beautiful. I wanted, too, to sort of communicate the idea that intimacy is not inherently romantic, sex isn't the only way to be intimate with someone, and that trust and vulnerability are essential building blocks in a close friendship. I do understand that people like the drama, complications, and exclusivity that comes with romance, though, which is why shipping is so popular in fandom spaces. But don't count out platonic ships! They are good!!


End file.
